Whatever your thoughts on Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights, watching a heartbreaking tale of doomed love can be therapeutic. It's no wonder we're revisiting Titanic nearly 30 years after its premiere, as well as Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet. If you also enjoy crying at the movies or just reliving the emotions at home, here are five more movies about doomed love—more or less tragic—that are worth watching after Wuthering Heights.
“Eternal radiance of pure reason”
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Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind can be watched over and over again, and each time you find yourself holding back tears (or letting them flow, depending on whether you have company). While many call the film a “romantic comedy,” this surreal story about a relationship being erased from the memories of two lovers is heartbreaking. The most painful scenes are those where Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) recall a tender moment, only to have the memory suddenly ripped from their minds. It's devastating.
“500 Days of Summer”
Whether this film will move you to the core or just seem like a light entertainment depends largely on what stage of your own romantic life you are at. In any case, it is a classic of the zero. The film shows a doomed relationship without a definition (even before the term situationship appeared) and flawlessly conveys the feeling of falling in love with a person who cannot or will not commit – and then easily does it with someone else. However, it is a rom-com, so the ending is not entirely gloomy: some would even call it happy – in a bittersweet sense.
“Carol”
Another film that you want to watch over and over again just to feel something. Often called one of Todd Gaines' best works, Carol is about two women, Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Teresa (Rooney Mara), who fall in love in the 1950s, when same-sex relationships were illegal. One of the film's greatest strengths is its solid ending: the most tragic events unfold in the middle, which was quite unusual for the time (before Carol, most lesbian films ended in tragedy).
“Call me by your name”
There are many things about this film that make you fall in love. The wispy, sun-drenched Italian landscapes. The euphoric scene where Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) dance to the Psychedelic Furs' “Love My Way.” And, of course, the peach scene. If you were lucky enough to experience a painful but life-affirming romance as a teenager—preferably during a hot summer—then many of the moments in this film will resonate with you. The central love story is doomed, yes, but the best stories often are.
“Romeo + Juliet”
When it comes to crazy adaptations of classics with chaotic mise-en-scène, it's worth mentioning Baz Luhrmann's 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet, a story of doomed first love. We all know how Shakespeare's play ends. But before the finale, this version explodes with surreal gunfights, angel wings, parties and marriage proposals. And it also stars a young Leonardo DiCaprio in his romantic golden age – and for that alone, the film is worth watching.